Questions about roof replacement and insurance

[fh2000]

That I knew for sure but I was worrying about it being replaced and then rotting again over time. It's a little weird wooden area that the painters always miss when the eaves get painted. You have to actually get on the roof and walk to this area to paint it so improving it has always been on my mind. I simply never thought about it being replaced with a different material that should last forever.
Now I just need to figure out what to do to keep the birds from getting under the tile, nesting and tearing up the felt. Some people nail screening over the edge but that looks like crap. Any ideas?

wire mesh?

 

[Texas Proud]

Don't worry. They will gladly replace that bad wood.
At an extra cost.


Call me Cap'n Obvious.

Yes... my quote had a number of estimated wood replacement... and a fee if it went over... I think I went over by 2 but they did not charge me for the extra..

 

[Involuntary Retiree]

Just so you know, insurance companies are savvy, and neither you nor your roofer can "defraud" them. How old is your roof, what is the nature of the damage, and what might have caused it? These are the pertinent facts. And, contracting a persuasive roofer who can influence the decision of the latter two factors is important.

 

[Sunset]

OP - to me $12K sounds expensive for a tear off and replace on a roof. Unless of course you have a very large roof.

You definitely don't want an un-reputable roofing company doing the job. They come around here after every storm looking for suckers.
One year they did the neighbor behind us, roof and the flashing. Within 2 years the flashing had fallen off in various places, the roofing company didn't fix it.
A few years later, they had to have the roof redone, again couldn't get the original company to come out.
It's pretty cheap to dissolve a company and then form a new company the next day when you don't care about your reputation .

 

[SecondCor521]

OP - to me $12K sounds expensive for a tear off and replace on a roof. Unless of course you have a very large roof.

~1750 square foot house, 30 year architectural shingles. The garage area of the house is a steeper pitch - 12/12 I think - and the main house is standard 7/12 pitch. Tear-off of the single existing layer, new 15 # felt, plus some other stuff I didn't look at particularly carefully.

Based on what everyone said, I'm probably going to wait another year or two, get a few competitive bids from local companies with good reputations, and then pay for it out of pocket.

 

[Sunset]

~1750 square foot house, 30 year architectural shingles. The garage area of the house is a steeper pitch - 12/12 I think - and the main house is standard 7/12 pitch. Tear-off of the single existing layer, new 15 # felt, plus some other stuff I didn't look at particularly carefully.

Based on what everyone said, I'm probably going to wait another year or two, get a few competitive bids from local companies with good reputations, and then pay for it out of pocket.

Single story (ranch) or double story ?

The shingles may have a warranty since they are not even near 30 yrs old.

If you have had extreme storms in the last couple of years, especially large hailstorm. It could be worth it to call a local reputable company to look for a free quote.
It's always possible you do have storm damage that will be covered. If the roofer can show you it. Then (don't give away your rights to the roofer) but call your insurance to come look.

About 10 years ago, we had a giant hail storm that punched holes in my siding. So I called a local reputable roofing company with good ratings to come take a look. He showed me the damage to the roof and verbal estimate.
I then called the insurance agent to come out (just me and him) and we went on the roof and he agreed they needed to replace the roof and some siding and stuff.
I called back the roofer for a written estimate for the job.

 

[SecondCor521]

Single story (ranch) or double story ?

The shingles may have a warranty since they are not even near 30 yrs old.

If you have had extreme storms in the last couple of years, especially large hailstorm. It could be worth it to call a local reputable company to look for a free quote.
It's always possible you do have storm damage that will be covered. If the roofer can show you it. Then (don't give away your rights to the roofer) but call your insurance to come look.

About 10 years ago, we had a giant hail storm that punched holes in my siding. So I called a local reputable roofing company with good ratings to come take a look. He showed me the damage to the roof and verbal estimate.
I then called the insurance agent to come out (just me and him) and we went on the roof and he agreed they needed to replace the roof and some siding and stuff.
I called back the roofer for a written estimate for the job.

Sorry, what I wrote there was confusing. My existing roof is standard 3-tab shingles which are typically a 20 year warranty, and my house is 18 years old.

The quote I got for the re-roof at $12K included 30 year architectural shingles.

We don't really have hail storms to speak of here in Idaho. We have some gusty winds from time to time up to maybe 50mph, which is what has torn off some of my shingle tabs. But probably not enough to qualify based on the tenor of the comments on this thread - it's not like a single windstorm tore half my roof off. It's more like my aging roof is starting to shed a bit here and there.

 

[Dtail]

Our roof was replaced after 14 years. There was some damage to a large wind storm. Only paid the hurricane deductible of 8k. Yes our insurance company dropped us, but found another one for cheaper.

 

[JoeWras]

We just had pea sized hail come through the area a few days ago. This won't damage anything, but it is on the record of a "hail event" with the national weather service.

The roof repair hail chasers are already roaming the neighborhood.

This practice is killing the insurance market for all of us. Makes me sick.

 

[H2ODude]

My roof experience a few years ago was unexpectedly pleasant. Had a leak, contacted roofer whose owner lived in the neighborhood. He showed me two shingles missing I wasn’t even aware of as you had to get to unusual place to see. He got up and examined the roof, said it showed signs of hail damage. Not good enough for our insurance. Had to have evidence of damage within 6 months of discovery. He spent a fair amount of time doing local weather research and lo and behold found that local TV affiliate reported hail just less than 6 months from discovery which we filed with insurance. Adjuster came out, and no cost for $13k roof. He used some trickery to not charge us for the deductible of $1k. Something something about credit for us allowing him to put sign in yard for a week. Roof was about 15 years old at the time. I’d been real happy with our low cost insurance until a big jump that they said had nothing to do with roof, increased deductible to 2500 and they miraculously added a senior discount which brought it all down to almost what it was.

 

[pb4uski]

My roof experience a few years ago was unexpectedly pleasant. Had a leak, contacted roofer whose owner lived in the neighborhood. He showed me two shingles missing I wasn’t even aware of as you had to get to unusual place to see. He got up and examined the roof, said it showed signs of hail damage. Not good enough for our insurance. Had to have evidence of damage within 6 months of discovery. He spent a fair amount of time doing local weather research and lo and behold found that local TV affiliate reported hail just less than 6 months from discovery which we filed with insurance. Adjuster came out, and no cost for $13k roof. He used some trickery to not charge us for the deductible of $1k. Something something about credit for us allowing him to put sign in yard for a week. Roof was about 15 years old at the time. I’d been real happy with our low cost insurance until a big jump that they said had nothing to do with roof, increased deductible to 2500 and they miraculously added a senior discount which brought it all down to almost what it was.

^^^ And this is why we are all paying higher homeowners insurance rates.

Why should a homeowner get a brand new roof at no cost for a 15 year old roof that is 60% to 75% through its normal useful life? The rest of us that buy homeowners insurance are all paying for that new roof, especially the 60-75% that should have been the owner's responsibility.

BTW, I'm sorry to be harsh and am trying as best I can not to single you out and understand why it was an unexpectedly pleasant experience for you... and good for you... but the fact that society tolerates such things is why we pay so much for homeowner's insurance and it annoys me.

 

[JoeWras]

It wasn't pleasant for me either when I got my latest homeowner's insurance bill. Thank you for nothing, neighbors.

I paid for my own roof last year. I did consult with one hail chaser. He wanted me to do a bunch of stuff I consider unethical:
- Sign a contract to turn over all my rights to him regarding insurance for the kind of shingles, extent of repairs, etc.
- Be on a group phone call and accept "coaching"
- Play some game with putting up a sign for a month or two as a kickback for my deductible. Although he was unhappy to hear my deductible was $2.5k.

Told him to hit the road.

In return, yes, I dropped $6k on the project. I was able to work with the roofer every step of the way, including the type of shingles, dealing with special skylights, etc.

My neighbors think I'm a fool for not getting a "free" roof. I guess I am.

And yes, I know my roof well, too well. There was no hail damage. We've never had any hail in the last 25 years over marble sized. Our last good golf ball sized event was in the early 90s.

 

[jazz4cash]

I was surprised insurance approved a claim for wind damage on our 20 yr old roof with no depreciation. The replacement included several upgrades (synthetic barrier, drip edge, ridge vent,etc) that are now code or standard practice vs 20 yrs prior. This was a “deluxe” policy. There was an allowance for replacement of underlayment. A friend suggested they should do my 12x16 shed. The roofer readily agreed and even added a ridge vent. The insurance company check was made payable to me and my mortgage company. I had to send the check to them to endorse. They asked me to sign before sending but I refused.

 

[wrigley]

My insurance company sent me a letter about a year ago informing me that if I deal with a roofing company that wants to replace my roof and get the insurance company to pay for all but my deductible, without there being an "event" that caused damage, I could be dropped no questions asked. So basically, think really hard before you try to get something for nothing. I live in Florida.

Mike

 

[aaronc879]

~1750 square foot house, 30 year architectural shingles. The garage area of the house is a steeper pitch - 12/12 I think - and the main house is standard 7/12 pitch. Tear-off of the single existing layer, new 15 # felt, plus some other stuff I didn't look at particularly carefully.

Based on what everyone said, I'm probably going to wait another year or two, get a few competitive bids from local companies with good reputations, and then pay for it out of pocket.

If you get a hail storm then there is nothing wrong with calling the insurance company and having them look at it. A new roof is worth at least a decade of increased premiums. If you can legitimately get a free roof then there is no reason not to.

 

[COcheesehead]

If you get a hail storm then there is nothing wrong with calling the insurance company and having them look at it. A new roof is worth at least a decade of increased premiums. If you can legitimately get a free roof then there is no reason not to.

Yes, what’s you describe is an insurable event. The thread however, started off with trying to get a roof based on contractor shenanigans or normal wear and tear outside of damaging weather, fire, etc.

 

[aaronc879]

Yes, what’s you describe is an insurable event. The thread however, started off with trying to get a roof based on contractor shenanigans or normal wear and tear outside of damaging weather, fire, etc.

Yeah, just normal wear and tear in obviously not covered. I guess there is a fine line what counts as an "event" but I would expect a strong wind or hail storm to always count towards a new roof. Normal wear from sun and time is not covered.

 

[SecondCor521]

The thread however, started off with trying to get a roof based on contractor shenanigans or normal wear and tear outside of damaging weather, fire, etc.

As the OP, I disagree with your characterization.

I started this thread as an inexperienced person asking sincere questions about how homeowner's insurance worked with respect to roof replacements amid conflicting advice from multiple roofing companies.

The only quote for a roof which I have solicited was from the reputable company. The less reputable companies all approached me as they were replacing my neighbors' roofs last summer.

 

[badatmath]

That I knew for sure but I was worrying about it being replaced and then rotting again over time. It's a little weird wooden area that the painters always miss when the eaves get painted. You have to actually get on the roof and walk to this area to paint it so improving it has always been on my mind. I simply never thought about it being replaced with a different material that should last forever.
Now I just need to figure out what to do to keep the birds from getting under the tile, nesting and tearing up the felt. Some people nail screening over the edge but that looks like crap. Any ideas?

I'm told in AZ it is code for them to do some sort of bird screens on new roofs now. I have the same tile thing going on and need to replace in the next year or so. Supposedly they use longer lasting felt now too, code has been updated to require it.

 

[misanman]

Might be a long shot but you might want to check to see if there are any lawsuits related to the brand of shingles that you have. The roof on our house started to fail and I think I was just doing an internet search to check for solutions and I found that the brand/model of shingle we had been shown to be defective and we were able to file a claim and get a pro-rated amount toward a new roof. Eighteen years almost seems like early failure to me.

 

[COcheesehead]

As the OP, I disagree with your characterization.

I started this thread as an inexperienced person asking sincere questions about how homeowner's insurance worked with respect to roof replacements amid conflicting advice from multiple roofing companies.

The only quote for a roof which I have solicited was from the reputable company. The less reputable companies all approached me as they were replacing my neighbors' roofs last summer.

Posts 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 17 etc interpreted your question the same as I did whether you intended it or not, that is how it appeared.

 

[d.davis]

When I had my roof replaced about 10 years ago it was quite old but my insurance was full replacement cost not depreciated replacement cost. Shortly after, my insurance company stopped writing full replacement cost policies so there's that.

The good news is I paid 10% more above the insurance payout to upgrade to hail/wind resistant shingles - they refer to them as 50-year shingles. My state insurance department requires my insurance company give a discount for having hail/wind resistant shingles and that discount paid back my additional cost in 3 years. The discount is has increased each year and it's not insignificant.
I don't believe they're hurricane resistant (only a110mph rating) so may not be a good choice for coastal houses but worth considering inland.

 

[SecondCor521]

Posts 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 17 etc interpreted your question the same as I did whether you intended it or not, that is how it appeared.

Those posts you cited (with the possible exception of a portion of #8) all talked about unethical business practices on the part of the contractors.

You so far are the only one who has accused me personally of unethical behavior, a characterization with which I will continue to disagree.

I don't really buy into arguments by assertion. But I suspect you won't let it go, so I will let you have the last word if you want it.

 

[COcheesehead]

Those posts you cited (with the possible exception of a portion of #8) all talked about unethical business practices on the part of the contractors.

You so far are the only one who has accused me personally of unethical behavior, a characterization with which I will continue to disagree.

I don't really buy into arguments by assertion. But I suspect you won't let it go, so I will let you have the last word if you want it.

I summarized your first post as being about replacement for wear and tear and dealing with dubious contractors.You are making it now out to be a personal attack which I did not do.

 

[SecondCor521]

I summarized your first post as being about replacement for wear and tear and dealing with dubious contractors.You are making it now out to be a personal attack which I did not do.

I must have misread your post #41; I apologize for misunderstanding you.